Who were the Sea peoples?

Who do you guys think the Sea peoples were, I have always found them very fascinating, especially the fact there is very little knowledge on them although the latter is already known what are your opinions?

It was probably people from the Aegian islands, cyclades specifically. They were not exactly Greeks, but you could say they were ancestors of some Greeks. I don't remember exactly where but some Jewish texts mentions them as being people that came from the north side of the sea. Some others connect them with the rule of the Hyksos in Egypt. Others connect them to the Minoans, because of localy made minyan artifacts found in the region of palestine.

It's kinda fuzzy right now. I have some issue of science illustrated that had an amazing article about them. Gotta find it in order to be more specific.

It kinda occured to me their origin is unknown. Calling them greek seems far streched.
They are suposed to be Sicilians, Sardenians, or better people that eventually (after their inasion on Egypt and the Levante) settled on Sardinia and Sicily.
Their Greek origin is based mostly on the fact that after the destruction of the phoenician Alasya (Cyprus), the local culture was replaced with a mycenean one, while at the same time the most populated centres of Mycenean world (Mycenae and Pylos) were abandoned. Also, the Bible names the origin of the Filistines to be Kafthor. Kafthor was originally (2000 years ago) identified with Kapadokia, but today it is identified with Crete (which at the time of the Sea peoples' invasion was Mycenean). This seems to agree to some extent with archaeological finds in Palestine, which show that at the time the area identified to the Filistines seems to have been Mycenean. Moreover, Egyptian sources say that after being repelled on Egypts' border, the Peleshet (Filistines?) settled in what's today Palestine. Moreover, ancient greek texts translated Goliath's name as Alyattes (Goliath was a Filistine), showing that they saw his name as a greek one (or inodeuropean one, rather a semitic one).

That link is the best analysis i've read so far! Thanks Lawageta!

ty for the link, pretty interesting especially the boat w/out oars.

xristar wrote: It kinda occured to me their origin is unknown. Calling them greek seems far streched. They are suposed to be Sicilians, Sardenians, or better people that eventually (after their inasion on Egypt and the Levante) settled on Sardinia and Sicily. Their Greek origin is based mostly on the fact that after the destruction of the phoenician Alasya (Cyprus), the local culture was replaced with a mycenean one, while at the same time the most populated centres of Mycenean world (Mycenae and Pylos) were abandoned. Also, the Bible names the origin of the Filistines to be Kafthor. Kafthor was originally (2000 years ago) identified with Kapadokia, but today it is identified with Crete (which at the time of the Sea peoples' invasion was Mycenean). This seems to agree to some extent with archaeological finds in Palestine, which show that at the time the area identified to the Filistines seems to have been Mycenean. Moreover, Egyptian sources say that after being repelled on Egypts' border, the Peleshet (Filistines?) settled in what's today Palestine. Moreover, ancient greek texts translated Goliath's name as Alyattes (Goliath was a Filistine), showing that they saw his name as a greek one (or inodeuropean one, rather a semitic one).

This is a good topic but I agree we know so little about them. I have read theories that they were Minoans escaping the destructive power of Thera and also they came from Anatolia. It seems it is all speculative but I wonder if there is any archaeological evidence that supports a particular theory more than others??? Looking at Egyptian relief sculptures of them they look like Europeans or Caucasians.